Unit 1. Page 2. B - DeiseFreire/English GitHub Wiki

MURPHY, Raymond. English grammar in use. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002. Unit 1, page 2, B

  • I am doing something = I started doing it and I haven't finished; I'm in the middle of doing it.

  • Please don't make so much noise. I 'm trying to work. (not I try).

  • 'Where's Mark?' 'He 's having a shower.' (not He has a shower).

  • Let's go out now. It isn't raining any more. (not It doesn't rain).

  • How's your new job? Are you enjoying it?

  • What's all that noise? What 's going on? or What 's happening?

  • Sometimes the action is not happening at the time of speaking. For example:

  • Steve is talking to a friend on the phone. He says:

    • I 'm reading a really good book at the moment.
      • It's about man who...
  • Steve says ' I'm reading ... 'but he is not reading the book at the of speaking.

  • Kate wants to work in Italy, so she ’s learning Italian. (but perhaps she isn’t learning Italian at the time of speaking).

  • Some friends of mine are building their own house. They hope to finish it next summer.